Governor: PRFAA director is worth the cost of her position

Gabriela Boffelli, the executive director of the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration

By THE STAR STAFF

Gov. Jenniffer González Colón on Thursday defended the salary and travel expenses of Gabriela Boffelli, the executive director of the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration (PRFAA) office in Washington, D.C.

“I am privileged that someone who was offered positions at the White House and with lobbying firms in the United States was available to lead the Puerto Rico government office in Washington,” the governor said at a press conference. “Her academic background, her work experience on congressional issues -- she was my chief of staff in Congress -- and the fact that I was the resident commissioner who secured the most federal funding for Puerto Rico because I had the best staff.”

Regarding the controversy over Boffelli’s travel, the governor insisted that the official travels at her request.

“Regarding the travel that has been criticized publicly, well, since I arrived here, I have been bringing federal government officials to Puerto Rico. Next week I have the FEMA Council here, the new committee the president appointed to evaluate the future of FEMA [Federal Emergency Management Agency],” González Colón continued. “I can’t be at every meeting, I can’t go to every power plant, I can’t be at every meeting with LUMA or Genera. So my director of federal affairs comes to Puerto Rico with them, accompanies them to meetings with industry, the private sector, and various organizations because they have been involved. The same thing happens when members of Congress come. When I bring members of Congress to Puerto Rico, committee chairmen, and I say, ‘I want to transition from PAN to SNAP,’ I need someone to take them around, meet with the secretary of the Family Department, meet with the secretary of agriculture, meet with industry, meet with the private sector, with supermarkets. Well, that’s my office director, so she will come to Puerto Rico as many times as necessary. It’s much cheaper for me to have this staff than to hire lobbyists.”

Boffelli has made at least 20 official trips in eight months, at an estimated cost of $24,000 to the public treasury. The expenses include over $13,000 for airfare, over $8,000 for lodging, and some $2,500 for meals.

In comparison, her predecessor, Luis Dávila Pernas, made 13 trips during his first eight months in office, at a cost of $13,591.

After González Colón took office as governor, the PRFAA authorized an increase in the executive director’s salary. As a result, Boffelli now earns an annual salary of $200,000, which is $25,000 more than Dávila Pernas’ salary and $50,000 more than the salaries of previous directors, whose salaries were around $150,000.

The increased salary, however, is some $4,000 less than what Boffelli earned in 2024 as chief of staff in González Colón’s legislative office when she was resident commissioner.